MLML will be awarding a one-time scholarship this year in memory of Bill Watson. Bill was a big part of MLML for many years. He started as a student in the Physical Oceanography lab under Dr. Broenkow, completing his thesis on tidal currents in Elkhorn Slough in 2005. He then worked at the labs in the shop and helped many students with projects, particularly with electronics and instrumentation.

Bill also shared his love of music with the MLML community. He started a bluegrass group at the lab, and started a two-year trip to handcraft 5 string banjos (see photos below). One of those banjos was raffled off to fund a $3,000 dollar student scholarship a few years back (more about this here: http://data.moby.mlml.calstate.edu/banjo9/). The Bill Watson Memorial Scholarship will be awarded this spring, at our annual scholarship reception, in the amount determined by the donations we receive.